Archangel Proxy:Bloodline Redemption
by Deidara-Danna-sama
Summary: A story based on Tekken 6 but with a dark twist. The new KOIF Tournament 6 has begun and fighters from all over have entered. Some for the money, some with ulterior motives. But a new group of fighters have emerged with an apocalyptic warning for Jin Kazama; Stop his evil ways, or damn the world's future. Eventual Jin/Xiaoyu.
1. Prologue

**A/N: **Ohayo Gozaimasu. I see people are quite the fans of Red Hot Pandora, so I've decided to write another one. I hate having random story ideas kick me in the face when I least expect them. But anyways, I think this will be one of my best stories yet, considering my video game addictions, I know more about Tekken than I do about anything else. There are some made up characters in this story, character deaths, grisly scenes, sex and language, but yeah. Review for me, and review a lot if you want me to be more frequent with updates.

This story is based solely on Tekken 6 but with a twist. And suggest to me wonderful things with the plot. Dei-chan loves plot twist thingies.

Summary: The King of Iron Fist Tournament 6 has been announced, with the new head of the Mishima Zaibatsu, Jin Kazama, governing the activities. Fighters are gathering from all over for personal goals, or for the bounty on Jin's head, but a new batch of competitors have arrived with a pre-apocalyptic warning for him; Stop the wars and his ulterior pursuits…or damn the world's future.

This story is of course centered around Xiaoyu and Jin, but I'm going to be cool and let the many other pairings and concoctions surprise you. The rating is M, and for those with weak hearts, overly vivid imaginations, and emotional issues, some things or just in general, about this fan fiction are not for you. I recommend you hit the back button…but hopefully you won't have to.

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_******Archangel Proxy: Bloodline Redemption******_

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_Gaze too long into the abyss,_

_And the abyss gazes into you._

_**-Prologue-**_

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A crackle of thunder overhead, a sudden flash of lightning; it was usually signifying of an approaching storm. Yet no rain would be gracious enough to fall from the clouds. The heavens would not weep for her. The heavens dare not cry for this miserable world. The air was thick and dry, breezes blew through ghost towns like dry laughter, but it did nothing to ease the humidity. The sun would no longer shine its hopeful rays upon this world. It stayed hidden constantly behind morose, thick clouds. They were constant reminders to her, and to everyone, all hope was lost.

This world. This wretched place.

The clouds were heavy and dark, the sky stained red like the blood that constantly poured into the earth and streets. The place she once called her home. Skyscrapers, buildings, houses, structures of permanence; now hollow and destroyed. Crumbled bricks, gaping holes, fires and unstableness replaced their' foundations. There were no streets any longer, just barren dirt roads and upturned concrete. The air was thick with smoke; The nauseating odors of burning flesh, corpses, and buildings all mingled together. The smoke wafted everywhere like a thick curtain of fog, it stung her eyes, assaulted her nose and burned her to the core of her soul for she knew those suffering were in it. In places far worse.

This world. This wretched place.

She had been running, she wasn't entirely sure how long, she just knew that she was. Her eyes stung with fresh tears which she quickly wiped away on a blood-soaked sleeve of her once favorite kimono. Yet the blood was not her own.

Her heart ached for these suffering souls, these people, once living life enjoyably, free of worry, now enslaved into a constant world of violence. These people were now forced to fight for amusement, living in such deplorable conditions, killing each other or left to die. Such was the fate of a small boy she found bleeding to death as she traveled with her father.

He was incredibly malnourished; his small face gaunt, dirty, bruised, and his wide, dark eyes were blank and glazed over. A gash was in his chest, as it rose, painfully rose and fell with each labored breath as he lay there. Dying. He was in the middle of nowhere, a dusty blood trail on the dirt road indicating he had been dragged, to where he was, left in a small patch of reeds like road kill.

Dying all alone in what had once been a farm, but was now a roost to spider-like demons that pounced in the night for those unfortunate enough to let sleep overcome them.

She held the child willing death to take him quickly, praying that his misery would hurry and end. It wasn't fair. She buried her face in his matted dark hair, the metallic smell of blood lingering on his skin, tears staining her cheeks as she wept for him. He was so small and frail, she could visibly count every single one of his ribs even the outline of his breastbone was visible. He made a sound, a weak whisper which she assumed was the death rattle but realized he was speaking. His last dying words, he was trying to tell her something.

His voice was like the sound of wind rattling dead leaves in the fall, breathless dead whispers. "I…heard…s-some…body…" He coughed thickly, blood rushed out more from the deep laceration in his chest as his torso contracted with spasms. She swallowed thickly, praying that death would take the child any minute now. His suffering seemed to be grueling and slow.

"Fix…our future…"

Her almond shaped eyes slightly widened in interest. That's what she and her father were searching for. A way to bring their' world out of this hellhole.

"Who, boy? Who?"

Her words fell on deaf ears, the child had heaved his last breath. Almost lovingly did she lay him down, closing his eyelids and stood up as the man beside her draped his cloak over the body.

Her father pulled her to him in a comforting hug, his lithe muscular frame scarred and smelling of sweat and smoke. He stood an easy 5'9, his traditional robes were ripped, tattered and had small scorch markings through them. She, standing one whole foot shorter wept into his chest, her dark bobbed hair sticking to her face with sweat. Yet another nightmare. The child wasn't the first body she had seen and certainly not the last. Bodies lined the roads, some whole, some missing limbs, some completely unidentifiable. Everywhere they went. Some people were even stuck with the horrid job of piling bodies into large mounds and burning them. The stench of rotting flesh choked her, occasionally vomiting gave her relief, but even the added smell of the contents of her stomach only served to make her more sick.

They had been on the move for days now, it wasn't safe to rest anywhere anymore. Her feet ached, her light kimono clung to her thin frame like a second skin from the unrelenting heat, her tanned olive complexion was sullied by dirt, blood and ash. Things that were second nature were now luxuries; sleeping, eating, bathing. Her eyes were heavy and rimmed with black rings indicating many nights consistently of being wide awake. Usually her nights were spent being a watchdog for overseers and creatures or because the wailing of the tortured prevented her from trying to escape into the Zen garden of her mind. They were mentally drained, emotionally weary, and physically exhausted.

"Hush, girl. Hush. The concept of death is a depressing thing, but he's free now. Potentially that boy may have been onto something."

Yes. There had been whispers, hearsay, but the rumor had floated around amongst the prisoners and the few survivors that they had managed to rescue. Someone, somewhere, had devised a plan to save the world. Some believed this was just something to get everyone's spirits up, only for them to be grossly disappointed. Others kept the small faith that hopefully, someway, somehow, these rumors were true. She and her father were clinging to this mute faith, clinging as hard as possible.

She swallowed again, her saliva lingering in the back of her throat like paste. She felt like she was going to vomit again. Yet her father continued. "I've heard rumors, more defined, that a girl your age requires a method of time travel."

Time travel? Those were silly methods she had seen in movies, usually unsuccessful. Someone was really trying to do it? The mere concept of the idea sounded foolish, like an idea dreamed up by a child. It really sounded like a fool's errand, was there someone out there who was actually adamant about correcting this world? Her father had taught her spells, ritual magic and incantations, even self healing spells, but time travel was a whole other venture.

But it dawned on her suddenly, if someone was serious about this, then they could fix it. This twisted place, this ugly world that everyone had been flung into. They could change it and make it better. However, time travel required technology, something that her world had been completely stripped of. It could also work with ancient dark arts, but age old spell books and the like had been destroyed after the New Order was introduced. Anything that could help someone rise in power to oppose the world's Ruler was annihilated and anyone still fool enough to try was made a grisly public spectacle. Who could possibly expect such a foolish idea to work unless they still had access to something of the sort?

"I want you, to seek out this person and help them if they are honestly trying to change our world."

She suddenly jerked up her head, her pinkish lips quivering, "Y-you're….you're not coming with me?" Her dark almond eyes looked into the soot covered, stone Vajra mask, the man who never showed anybody his real face but for one time, just to her.

He silently shook his head, and her body instantly became wracked with fear and her heart leaped in her chest with an intensity that almost felt like she had been punched. "I've raised you, since you were small, to be strong. Even if I can't be by your side. This is the time to exercise it."

"B-but…what if this person isn't real? What if its all a lie? What will I do if...?" She didn't dare finish that sentence. She couldn't finish that sentence. The man before her was her only family; her parents died in an explosion, she became an orphan at a tender age of 5. He had found her, took her in and raised her like his own. But if he were gone what would she do? Where would she go?

"Have faith, child. Surely there is plenty of truth to these dying whispers we've been hearing." He released her from his embrace, his good arm gripping the base of the sword that he always carried on his back and handed it to her. He was a dead man, he knew, but there was still hope for her. If she could find this person. He had to believe she'd find this person.

"Take my sword. I have the feeling you'll need it far more than I." He tilted his head at the girl, his adoptive daughter, and a surge of pain rose in his chest. He would not see her again after this. Yet there was a dim hope within him that she'd be just fine, that she would make things right. He had to believe that she'd find these people.

She gripped the base, feeling a surge of positive energy rush through the blade and into her, giving her strength. She said nothing, sheathing it and securing it to her back the way he always kept it. The sword gave her a sense of security, there was a piece of him traveling with her. Yet it left her cold, her heart aching with too many feelings of dread, fright, anxiety and sadness as though her emotions were tossed in a pot and set to boil. Her fists clenched tightly, her head bowed whilst her bangs hid her eyes. The tears were threatening to fall again but she was tired of crying. She had no energy left to cry. The tears did nothing to lift her weary soul, they only gave her terrible headaches and made her nose runny. No more tears, she vowed to herself.

There was silence as a dry wind whistled through the dead weeds, although unspoken, it said the same thing.

_Goodbye._

Off he sent her, and off she ran.

The memory burned fresh like the cuts on her feet, blood seeping through her feet and wrist wraps. Her torso and lower body wraps were beyond dirty, they began to itch against her skin. She had fled from the field, her lungs were burning and even stopping to catch her breath did not alleviate the pain. She had ran to the outskirts of yet another ghost town, once a small village, now ugly burned out homes were all that were left. The structures made a eerie sound as a light breeze blew through them, they sounded like sad moans to her ears. The earth was scorched beneath her straw sandals, fresh, and burning cinders were scattered along the ground, their' crackling embers floating into the air and vanishing.

She wanted to turn and run back, or even impale herself upon this sword. Cry and give up. Fall over and die. Yet her father's words just would not allow her despite the grim reality that they were facing. Never had she contemplated journeying alone. They had always went everywhere, _together. _But now, she was _alone_. Alone making a trip to find someone or something that probably isn't real?

A sudden surge of dread overcame her again and there she was seeing her meager breakfast a second time. Her eyes blurred with tears and the awful taste of stomach acid burned her tongue and throat. A rustling sound reached her ears and her eyes darted up quickly, a figure in the shadows had moved and was approaching her.

A young girl close in age with short, dirty platinum blonde hair that was slicked back behind her ears, stood 10 feet away from her. Her body language suggested a challenge, her fists were balled and the muscles in the brilliantly toned arms were tense. Her deep blue eyes studied her for a moment, seriously regarding her, then finally the girl spoke, "What're you doing here? Are you a spy or something?"

She gulped, cringing at the foul flavor of vomit going down her esophagus. She felt light-headed seeing the contents of her stomach being absorbed into the earth. Her voice came back to her in a choked rasp, "I-I'm…looking for someone who needs a method of time travel."

The blonde girl's eyes widened and at once she had ran over and grabbed her hand and was leading her behind one of the buildings. Down a weed trodden hill, across a dried creek, and now through a field of waist high grass and weeds. It was utterly quiet, except for the tall reeds rustling as they were parted as the two girls passed through. This field was barren as well, the trees and everything on it were dead; a pungent odor was in the air, stale but somewhat strong, something nearby was dead and rotting. The blonde stifled a cough, the smell was probably gagging her, but she continued to trudge along until there was a small clearing. The grass was much shorter, and a forest was visible in the distance.

The blonde girl did not stop to face her but for a second she paused, wiping the sweat that formed on her brow. "You. What's your name?" She had a light accent of sorts, her voice was like that of a larkspur chirping in the mornings.

"Kuenma…" the dark haired one meekly replied, her palms suddenly felt clammy and she felt an impulsive urge to free her hand from the other's grasp. Was the other girl even aware of how nervous and anxious she was?

The blonde turned to look at her, a strange look of intrigue dancing in her ocean colored eyes. Kuenma took that brief moment to study her. A dirt smudge on her left cheek, but she was pretty with a tomboyish flair. Her face was beautifully symmetrical with high cheekbones, a fine aquiline nose and a delicately pointed chin that in a way made her resemble that of an elf. Her clothes were dirty; a once white blouse and a torn red tank top that hugged her slender torso and small chest, a pair of tight short shorts boasting some European flag on the back pocket and ripped knee high sneakers.

"Brilliant. I'm Phoebe, by the way." Again Phoebe was pulling her along, though Kuenma did not protest as the girl continued with her talking. "My friend, you see, has reasoned that our planet's misfortunes can be fixed, but its something our parents did before we were born." She stopped momentarily, looking into the sky as if searching for some ray of hope. "There's some error that will disrupt the supernatural balance…or something."

"So…we travel back in time and find the mistake?"

Phoebe sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. "Well that's the plan so far, love. We've acquired something that might do the job, but it needs more power...or somebody who knows how to work it." She tentatively looked back at the latter, and gave her hand a squeeze. "Oh and…my apologies, mate. I kind of jumped the gun and started leading you somewhere and you were just puking your guts out."

Kuenma blushed, at least when she puked it didn't get on her clothes. "I-It's fine…you don't have to apologize…-"

Abruptly a loud screech was overheard as the girls quickly crouched down in the grass as a large shadow swooped over the field.

A massive winged beast, a gargoyle, was now circling over them before swooping dangerously close to their' heads and ascending back into the sky. Its high pitched roar echoed in the air as it hovered above them excitedly, its large bat-like wings flapping and fanning the weeds the below.

Phoebe's face wrinkled with a scowl, if this one kept up the noise it would attract more of them. "Bloody hell, stupid beast, bugger off!"

Kuenma frowned as well, she felt she didn't have the energy to fight this beast, because she was highly certain it was looking for dinner. In a swoosh of sour air it landed before them, an ugly monstrosity; grey with thick, sinewy muscles and bottomless black eyes with a mouth like a toucan.

Phoebe was already to her feet as the creature hissed and eased forward, rearing back its claws and making a swipe at the both of them. Kuenma rolled off to the left, Phoebe ducked to the right, and with practiced precision, she hit the ugly creature right in the side causing it to stumble back.

The blonde crouched low, weaving in and out back towards the beast who was still recovering from the gut jab, and gave it a swift uppercut, connecting the blow with three mid-air body jabs and a low punch as the thing hit the ground. The dark haired girl was watching, entranced. Phoebe was fast, delivering the stinging blows like an angry wasp but she had now further angered the creature, who let out a shrill squawk at them.

Realizing she was being useless, Kuenma drew the sword from her back willing a bit of fighting spirit into herself as the gargoyle came back her again, hovering in the air then swooping back down upon then. She grunted as its claws swept through her hair as she blocked the full impact. Phoebe was quickly back by her side again attempting to deliver a direct one two punch, but the creature caught her off guard with a quick high kick to the nose and knocked her down.

Kuenma glared, there was too much at stake to be fooling around with this thing! In a rage she charged it, head butting it and driving it into the ground, quickly walking over it with her blades like stilts just as her father taught her. It growled below her, still determined to make a meal out of her and her new ally. She remained balanced on the tip of her sword resembling a large flea then quickly hopped up, a free hand holding her legs in a makeshift Indian pose and the other hand deftly spinning the larger sword to keep herself hovering. Just as the winged beast stood up, she spun quickly the sword slashing through the air like lightning, effectively beheading the monster. Its large wings flapped uselessly, a few spasms taking over it and the body dissipated into a pool of grey feathers.

She landed, a panic arose in her chest as she remembered Phoebe was hurt. She made her way back to the blonde who was nursing a large cut under her left eye from the creature's claw. "Phoebe, are you okay? Let me see that."

"Stupid thing blindsided me, bloody bastard, and that was amazing over there y'know." She grinned, wincing a bit as Kuenma's palm pressed into the cut, a soft warm glow emanating from it then she withdrew with a light smile. The cut had faded to a barely noticeable scratch, it would be healed entirely in about a day or two.

Phoebe rubbed her cheeks, an awestruck look on her face. "How'd you do that?"

Kuenma outstretched a hand as she pulled the other girl to her feet. "Father taught me. We should get going, its getting close to nightfall."

The blonde nodded mutely, resuming leading the way through the brush and into the darkness of the dead forest. The sky had considerably darkened, inky blackness was starting to cover the land as Phoebe led her to what appeared to be a demolished mansion a little beyond the woods.

Dead trees stood menacingly, no leaves would sprout on them anymore; many were burnt or singed, some overturned from years of age. The mansion was an ugly sight covered in soot, moss, dead ivy and faded from age. Its once pristine white paint was yellowed and flaking revealing the crumbling brick beneath. The windows were all broken out, a large portion of the second floor was a gaping hole as though a meteor crashed into it. The crumbling columns were darkened with soot and a few had already fell over, giving Kuenma a wary feeling as though the building would collapse any minute.

The two had slipped in through the warped and bent iron gates, swiftly moving through the dead yard and around the side of the building to a cellar door, the wood eaten away with mold and moss. Phoebe pulled it open and a damp, musty smell wafted out of it as she beckoned Kuenma to go in first. The latter obliged, slowly feeling her way through the darkness and down the creaky stairway. A sound behind her announced Phoebe had shut the door and was back by her side.

She followed Phoebe again, around a long corridor noting dimly that this was originally a wine cellar with its many unused racks and stale bottles broken upon the floor. Finally they stood in a candlelit room, but it wasn't just the two of them.

There were about 7 other people, all her age or around it, sitting in the waning candlelight. A tall girl with a curvaceous figure and muscular frame next to a young man with deep skin and thick dreads, a mixed looking girl and an identical looking boy beside her with tribal looking feathers in their' dark hair. A boy with spiked hair slicked back, and another blonde boy with piercing blue eyes, his hair pulled back into a short ponytail.

None of them said a word before one more figure materialized from the shadow, her svelte figure illuminated in the candlelight. She was strikingly beautiful, and approached Phoebe in a hug.

"You made it. We've been waiting…who is this?"

Phoebe turned, grinning and slapping an arm around the other girl's neck. "This is Kuenma. She's here to help us finish up the last components on the time warp thing. Kuenma, this is-…"

The other girl cut her short. "Miscellaneous information. Glad you could come." She bowed curtly, turning from her friend and walking back to a tetra gram in the middle of the floor. "Tell me…would it be possible to open a rift using something like this?" She briefly clutched a dusty, ratty looking book to her chest. "The book says this can work like a portal too, provided that a specific date is placed and written outside the circle."

Kuenma eyed the seal on the floor. A 9 point star drawn in white paint, various kanji and candles placed on each point with seals scribbled outside of it in a circle, it required positive energy in order to function. That was the key. Like her father had said.

She nodded, tentatively stepping into the center of the star. "I know a spell, but it needs positive energy and positive thoughts. Everyone sit at each point of the star and do as I say."

There was a wary hesitation, but the teens mutely shuffled and sat on each point as directed, Kuenma taking a seat herself in the very center. "Now, close your eyes. I want everyone in this room to channel good energy and good thoughts, as hard as you possibly can."

She drew the sword from her back again, holding it in her lap as she closed her eyes as well. This had to work, right? No, it would work. She couldn't possibly allow such negativity or any dark energies to disrupt the balance of this place. She willed as many good thoughts as possible, her sword pulsing with a purple glow.

The seal became alive with a blinding blue light, the kanji and spells painted onto the concrete peeled off like stickers and started floating, spinning. They began to spin faster, closer and faster, spinning in a semi circle closing in tighter around each teen in the room. Suddenly the room was bright, blindingly bright as the blue glow turned white.

One second, Kuenma peeked an eye open and the star and everything in the room was spinning rapidly in a blur. She peeked again as the light became unbelievably bright, it stung her eyes even though she had them closed. She suddenly felt like a white hot fire had surged in her chest, spreading from the tips of her fingers and coursing throughout her. It burned, deeply yet pleasantly almost like it was etching into her soul and every fiber of her being. The light faded slowly, growing dimmer and dimmer until a soft _whoosh _of air blew out the flickering flames of the candles.

She lay there, her body felt like wood yet her head was replaced with air. She was somewhere above everything right now. She couldn't hear or see the others, she couldn't see a thing but there was a feeling in her heart. A feeling so wonderful that she hadn't felt it in all the years since her foster father had saved her. Her eyes fluttered closed, her weak body allowing that beautiful darkness to finally take over. The darkness swallowed her up like a black blanket, and she did not resist, after all she hadn't slept in 5 days.

Beautiful sleep.

And somewhere in the back of her mind she hoped he was proud of her. No…she knew he was proud of her. Wherever he was and wherever she had ended up, she knew he was proud of her. His brave daughter, his only daughter.

She knew that he was.

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**A/N: **There's a lovely teaser for you. Took me all night to write. Now remember, faster you review, the faster I'll have up chapter 1! Also, have fun guessing the parents of these young fighters, everyone's past will be revealed soon enough. I plan to make this as intricate as possible. Hopefully stuff won't be too predictable.

Teehee. Writing things like this is fun. Anyhow, review away and I promise not to disappoint you! Ja ne!


	2. Making An Entrance

**A/N(Dei's Ravings):** I'm pleased to see people like the story already…kind of. Fabulous. Now as I said, the more reviews I get, the sooner I'll have up the next chapters for you. I originally started a poll to have people guess the parents/possible parents/maybe not parents? Of these guys but I think I'll take it down and just let that reveal itself as everything rolls along. So instead I'm making a poll for which stories should I work on to get done faster. Most votes and I'll try to finish them in order of most to least votes depending on who reads my stuff. And as always, you can PM any requests. I'll try my best to get it done….along with this.

And also, I kind of goofed in the prologue and forgot to describe somebody so the other person will be present in the rest of these chapters. My oopsie. And if you're like, 'who'd she forget?' I'm bringing your attention to the fact there was a 9 point star, and each person was to sit on each point of the star and Kuenma was in the middle. That can't work with just 9 people. So, I'm fixing it. Hopefully you'll have their' names down pact soon enough, yeah?

Aghh I'm so late with this. So as an apology I'm putting up chapters 1-5 for right now within the next few weeks. I think I'll attempt two chapters at least every other week so readers won't hate me. This would suck if I was actually a writer…I'd forever miss my deadlines…

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_******Archangel Proxy: Bloodline Redemption******_

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_**-Chapter 1: Making an Entrance-**_

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Hazel eyes drowsily fluttered open then closed again, the owner wincing and cradling her raven head in her hands. There was a chill in the room, her legs felt like gelatin, and her hands were numb.

Her head was ringing. Literally, almost in the comical fashion of someone insistently ringing a doorbell. Her body ached, but she felt strangely well rested and it was somewhat unnerving. Her hazel eyes blearily opened again, it wasn't as dark as it was before…there was some sunlight filtering in through the windows and she could see everybody still unconscious about her.

Wait.

_Sunlight?_

Forcing herself to stand without falling back over, her muscles screaming in protest, she stumbled to the source of the light and nearly wept. The windows in the mansion were darkened and covered in moss and ivy, no light came in, even in the daytime. But now, there it was. So warm and pure beaming on her face, it almost felt like she'd never see it again.

Was it true? Was their' journey a success?

She turned back to face the other 9 bodies unconsciously dreaming on the floor. Spotting the familiar fair head, she knelt by her side and forcefully shook her to the land of the conscious.

"Pheebs, Pheebs! Wake up! You've got to see this!" Her voice was only above a sharp whisper as not to stir the others, but she had to remember her friend often slept like a stone. She shook her with more vigor, "Dammit, Phoebe wake up!"

Her cupid's bow lips curved into a smirk seeing her friend's impossibly long blonde lashes flutter open, her indigo eyes vainly adjusting to the dimness of the room. She groaned sleepily, her eyes glancing to her friend's heart shaped face then realization dawned on her and she shot up in alert, her hands balled into fists.

"The bloody hell happened?" Her eyes widened further, "Wait, are we here? Did it work? Did it-" She was promptly silenced by the raven haired girl's two fingers pressed to her lips.

"That's what I've been trying to show you…" The raven haired one stood up, her 5'4 frame becoming illuminated by the stray rays of light as she placed her hands on her lightly curved hips. "I don't want to alarm or awaken the others…not just yet. I want to do a perimeter check to see."

Phoebe shrugged, her legs nearly giving back out as she wobbled to her feet. Her muscles were sore like no tomorrow and a dull ache raced up her spine from laying on the concrete floor. She stretched like a cat, and followed the other girl out of the musty little room. The corridor was still pitch black, but the small rays of light filtered between the cracks of the rotting doors illuminating part of the way.

The two pushed open the cellar doors and flinched at the blinding sunlight that assaulted their' vision, yet its warming rays welcomed them.

Phoebe inhaled deeply as she stepped out of the hovel, the smells of pine, cedar, the earth; She had missed it. Curiously she glanced back at their' place of hiding and stifled a gasp. The mansion looked far less aged and dilapidated than it was when they had discovered it. Even the gaping hole that used to be on the second floor was gone like it had never happened.

The forest that she had traversed with Kuenma that had been stricken with death and emptiness was now chiming and tittering with life. Foliage, thick and dense, birds chattering within them and other unrecognizable animal sounds. They were wonderfully, beautifully alive.

"Shit…we really are here." She whispered as though speaking anything about their' success would break the spell of this place. The blonde glanced to her friend, who seemed to be staring out into the cloudless sky.

"Kaida…what do we do now?"

Kaida did not answer right away. Not just yet. She had to relish this…this feeling. The sun on her face, the wind breezing through her waist-length ebony tresses, the sound of _life_ in her ears; these wonderful sensations that she hadn't felt in so long. Her heart, just for this small stitch in time felt like the puffy clouds that casually floated overhead.

Weightless. Pure.

She felt free.

She took a deep breath, turning to the perplexed blonde and a smile was dancing in her hazel eyes.

"First order of business…we wake the others. Then we'll go from there."

Phoebe nodded, her face melting into a cheeky grin that further enhanced her lovely elfin features and she disappeared back into the cellar.

The raven beauty sighed as her friend disappeared, her hazel eyes darkening in seriousness. So the time warp was a success, but now there were more pressing issues. If her knowledge served her correct, they were in correct country where the King of Iron Fist Tournament was supposed to be held. Thus facing the harder issue of blending in with the competitors and not draw too much attention to themselves.

She also needed to do some snooping around for some 'information' that she required…but naturally that won't be a walk in the park.

Problem was, where and when this tournament was to occur and of course…

A few groggy moans and mutters brought the dark teen back from her thoughts as she eyed her allies slowly shuffling out the cellar.

How in the world could they enter a tournament looking so incredibly filthy?

She wrinkled her nose as the other nine emerged looking more or less like zombies instead of lively teens. Its not like she could speak on appearances either; her jet black hair was dirty, oily and burdened with split ends, she needed a serious bath, and her clothes…needed to be burned.

She silently stood before them, her presence seemingly commanding their' attention simultaneously. "Alright people. From what you can see here, the early stages of our mission has been a success." She pivoted on her heels and turned her back to them. "But we aren't out of the woods yet."

"No pun intended?" A tall brunette with slate grey eyes piqued, earning a resounding giggle from the tall Amazonian girl beside him.

"As I was _saying_…" Kaida turned back and scowled at him, "this is only just the beginning. Although we're in the desired era, we may not rest." Her hazel eyes briefly scanned the nine teens, her brow furrowing. "This matter is serious. The window of the time warp is not permanent, nor completely stable. Anything can still go wrong."

"I don't know how long this will take, but between the fights and frivolities, we must not lose sight of the objective…we are here to save our world." She paused, taking a deep breath. "We are here do that, no matter what said cost may be."

Her eyes glinted dimly, a deep pang in her chest reminding her what will be inevitable suffering if anything went wrong. There was far too much at stake.

Kuenma was the first to step forward, her almond eyes squinting in the glare of the sunlight. "But…where do we start, and how can we possibly blend in looking the way we do?"

The strawberry blonde boy beside her chimed in as well, "Little lady has a point. Its not everyday you see some random, dirty, blood-covered teens walking the streets. We stick out like sore thumbs."

A wan small graced Kaida's heart shaped face. "Fret not, I have a plan. But first thing's first, we need to find civilization. Once we do, we'll be situated in no time and then we can focus on the greater matter at hand."

"Yeah…focus on some food and a massage therapist…" groaned the bronze boy with dreads, as he rotated his arms in circles. What he would not give for a deep tissue massage right now.

The Amazon squealed and latched herself onto his left arm, pushing her pillowy double-D's against his biceps. "You know, Julian, I can give a pretty good massage myself." She fluttered her eyelashes and licked her full lips but her taller, bronze counterpart only sighed in annoyance.

"Move out." Kaida ordered sourly, turning around as her hair dramatically fanned out like a cape, swishing as she walked. The other nine shuffled behind her, the only sounds made were the crackling of leaves and brush being stepped on. She fancied her allies like a small army, all of them single filed behind her trudging along into the unknown. But they were not venturing blindly onto enemy territory.

Phoebe sidled beside the raven haired beauty, whose face was stricken with uncertainty. "Ah, love?…you do have an actual plan right?" Phoebe nudged the other lightly, but Kaida seemed to be off in her own thoughts.

The platinum blonde sheepishly glanced back at the others trudging behind them, in hopes they wouldn't overhear.

"Kai, seriously…we need money. We need food, new gear, everything. What are you going to do? Have us rob a bank?"

Kaida was indeed mulling it over. They needed a place to stay, new clothes, and nourishment, but how could they possibly scratch up some funds that would suffice? Technically speaking, they weren't even in existence yet. No bank accounts, no jobs, certainly not resorting to assaulting someone for money, and yet…

The brunette's eyes widened. Why the hell was she even worried? She already _had_ access to the perfect target. She clucked her tongue and a pleased grin crossed her face.

The blonde blinked, seeing a devious smirk grace the raven's features that she knew all too well.

"You've got something warped up your sleeve don't you?"

The ebony haired girl's smirk grew, her hazel eyes meeting Phoebe's aquamarines. "Soon, Phoebe. You'll thank me."

The blonde gave her a sideways stare, an awkward frown plastered to her features.

What the hell did she possibly have in mind?

* * *

"Law. For fuck's sake. I'm not carrying any of your bags!"

"But I need a big strong man to help me! Who's going to lift these heavy bags?"

"Lift it yourself, you puss-cake!"

"But I'm delicate. I need to be well rested for the tournament…do you want me to start chafing?"

"Why do I travel with you again…?"

Paul Phoenix heaved an exasperated sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. Marshall Law, his Asian American buddy, was driving his last nerve. Yeah they were good friends, but dammit, there's only so much prissiness he could stomach in a day. As to why Law picked today to act like a pampered Beverly Hills teenager was beyond the burly blonde's comprehension.

An eight hour flight from the heart of New York, and now this fuckery?

They had just arrived at the hotel, La Mariposa Rivera, one of an international chain of Latin resorts which would serve as the temporary residence for them and the other fighters in the upcoming Iron Fist Tournament. Indeed it was exquisite and expensive…quite expensive. The more Paul thought about the money that he was in over his head to pay, the more this tournament reminded him that it would all be worth it.

At least, provided that he didn't beat Law senseless before the preliminaries begin.

Law was vehemently pouting at him, -seriously…pouting-, like some angry toddler that was denied a popsicle. Sure he was being a bit of a primadonna, but shit, he packed fifteen suitcases and Paul only packed the clothes on his back with a change of underwear.

You'd think the guy would be a little more considerate.

"Paul, come on! The concierge said the bellhops are already busy! I can't carry all this to our room!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. OUR room? I said we're not sharing."

"They have a master bed and bathroom…" Law cooed in a singsong fashion.

"Fuck no."

"They have Jacuzzis….."

"Law. FUCK. NO. Share with Steve."

"Too late mates. Already booked a single." A smooth baritone voice broke in, causing both fighters to involuntarily blink at each other.

The strawberry blonde and his shorter brunette friend glanced back at the handsome, 6'2 British blonde casually strolling their' way with two suitcases and a duffle bag. Steve was suffering mild jetlag, not that his trip wasn't comfortable of course. Of course a very luxurious first class flight wouldn't drain you. A five and a half hour flight from the heart of London to Japan at three in the morning can really do a number on you though.

Paul grinned, slapping a hand on the short asian's back, "See? Steve's already booked you two a nice lil' love nest."

"God no. I don't share a bed if its not with a lady, mate."

The older blonde scoffed, "Slap a wig and some makeup on Law, get Steve drunk, and yer' in."

Law appeared to be mulling it over. "I don't see why not, I mean….I think I have the ass for it." The two older men burst out laughing like a couple hyenas, while the other stood rolling his eyes.

Steve Fox grimaced, he still remembered the last tournament when Law decided to brandish a leopard speedo at the pool. It still gave him nightmares. Law in drag was _definitely_ something he'd never want to imagine.

"Law…all the booze in the world would never get me drunk enough to even mistake you for a woman for a second."

With that, Steve shuffled past them, motioning behind him as two dollies loaded up with suitcases, boxes, and something that looked like a self-assemble punching bag, followed suit.

The burly blonde scowled, "Wait a sec, you booked all the damn bellhops?"

His friend only turned back with a mischievous smirk. "Oh, no. These were the last two left. Some girl booked all the others and apparently reserved a whole floor to herself."

The two older men shared a flabbergasted look, before a yell of "Move your shit!" interrupted the light banter.

Rolling up on a motorcycle, a mop of bright auburn hair turned towards the assembling rush of people outside the hotel main gates. As if it wasn't hard enough trying to get a parking spot and fucking Paul and Law were blocking the entrance!

"Oh, his royal douchebag has arrived." Paul mocked, faking a bow and rolling his eyes.

Hwoarang scoffed, the engine of his Harley purring as he pulled to a stop in front of the door. He glanced back, the passenger clinging to his lean frame was bitching the whole ride and he had to stop twice for "snacks and necessities" as she said.

"Okay, pigtails, off my bike already." He barked, the passenger made a gruff 'humph' before taking off the flame helmet and then proceeded to scowl.

Ling Xiaoyu simply asked Hwoarang for a damn ride, besides who would possibly turn her down as cute as she was? Yeah she woke up sort of late, forgot some things(which Panda was supposed to show up with) and complained part of the way because Hwoarang's obsession with metal music made her eardrums bleed.

"You don't have to be a jerk y'know!" she pouted, grabbing the pink backpack and panda embezzled duffle bag that she kept smushed between their' bodies the whole ride. He had been acting a total douche since they left, and even when she attempted to spark conversation, he ignored her the whole time.

The redhead snorted, and with a rough shove pushed Xiaoyu off her seat causing her to ungraciously fall on her rear. He wasn't concerned, not in the least, and with a loud roar of the bike motor, pulled off in a trail of exhaust.

"Asshole..." Xiaoyu frowned, fanning what was left of the fumes from her nostrils before a pair of strong hands pulled her to her feet. Her wide almond eyes briefly glanced up to the face of her helper and a smile crossed her pink lips. "Thanks, Steve."

"No problem, but…what's biting him in the anus?" The handsome blonde had already picked up her bags and feigned a look of disgust in the direction that Hwoarang disappeared.

"I don't know…he's been acting that way since he picked me up. I think maybe he's just psyched about a rematch with Jin?"

"Being psyched and being an ass are two different things my dear."

"Yeah…I know…I just..."

_Is it because of me?_

Xiaoyu felt a flutter in her chest and clutched the backpack close to her bosom. The KOIF 5 she had self righteously entered when the news had circulated that Heihachi Mishima was dead…but upon discovering he was still alive, she and Panda pulled out the tournament. She originally wanted to know why Jin had changed and why he wanted Heihachi dead and she was actually hoping to stop him. Now, she was still left without answers and the object of her affection was now the unstoppable force orchestrating the KOIF 6. She tried multiple times to get near him, but his army thwarted every last attempt.

There was that, and Hwoarang was infuriated after his loss to Jin in the last tournament. She hadn't heard much from him as of late, he spent nearly all of his time training. She really just wanted to assume he was bitter about his defeat from last time but every look the redhead gave her usually feigned annoyance or a sneer.

What was wrong with everyone nowadays?

Even Panda didn't seem too eager to enter this year's tournament after the Zaibatsu declared war upon the world. It did seem suspicious but Xiaoyu had already resolved with vigor to convince Jin to change this time. This tournament was her only chance after all.

She heaved the duffle bag back over her thin shoulder, shaking her head in disdain as Steve abandoned her side to break up another squabble between Law and Paul. More vehicles were arriving, more fighters were emerging. She briefly recognized a few other people; Lili, some rich girl from a neighboring school, Christie Monteiro, Julia Chang and even that creep Bryan Fury. It wouldn't be long before the opening ceremonies would begin, and she was certain there'd be plenty of other familiar faces.

Including Jin.

But she wouldn't lose this time. She simply couldn't.

* * *

Large hands anxiously drummed against the smooth surface of a granite, all black desk and piercing hazel-grey eyes irritably focused on the clock on the wall. It was all he could do to maintain his composure and not crumple that monotonous piece of machinery like a paper bag.

_Soon._

The word rang in his head and rattled about like a bag of marbles but it spiked his excitement all the same. How long had he be waiting for this? Planning this? Seemed like an eternity though it had only been less than a few months. But, nothing in his eyes was more beautiful than a plan coming to fruition. A smug smirk worked its way onto his handsome face and he couldn't help but do so.

Jin Kazama leaned back in the expensive leather office chair, one of his nice 'acquisitions' from taking over the Mishima Zaibatsu shortly after the last tournament. The Zaibatsu became an overwhelming force under his command taking over oil fields, military bases, expensive nuclear and planetary technologies in less than a 4 month period. Whole nations stripped of power, completely relinquished over to him and the world quaking with terror.

Not to mention…the recently waged war upon the world.

Nothing like the start of World War 3.

The smirk on his face became downright devilish, the mere thought of so much control and power right under his fingertips simply tickled him. What was really getting him excited was this tournament.

The King of Iron Fist Tournament 6, he had announced it less than 3 weeks ago. Those weeks went by agonizingly slow, no amount of training, sleeping, or brooding seemed to make this day come quick enough for him. He was not going to be excited about the competitors. None of them were…exciting. The thrill of a nice bout did always give him a rush, but this wasn't why he announced this tournament.

Certainly not for a cheap thrill.

_**For blood.**_

Oh yes. That arrogant prick that could only be called a 'father' through genetics and a paternity test alone, had the gall to enter this time.

Kazuya was operating G Corporation from behind the scenes, appealing to the masses that already hated the Zaibatsu as a 'hero' for trying to fight against it. Every other time Jin saw that man, he was incensing him in the public eye; naturally the media over-inflates the popularity of the said 'hero' and makes him to look like more of a self-righteous fuck than what he pretended to be.

All this, and he was even kind enough to offer a ransom on Jin's head as well.

Jin snorted, lazily resting his head back onto his left hand as his right hand continued to drum at the table. This tournament would be Kazuya's own undoing, and he would be there to perform the last rites.

_Soon. Very soon._

A feeling deep within his subconscious swelled inside his chest, gnawing at his heart and pulsing through his veins. A tingle danced through his fingertips, leaving a burning trail as it came and went.

And he knew that 'feeling' all too well.

The robust energy of the Devil Gene was boiling inside him, anxiously, eagerly. The intensity at which it coursed through him sent a chill racing down his spine and unconsciously he clenched his fists.

One hour until the opening ceremony…

Then the games begin.

The smirk returned to his cupid's bow lips, and his eyes narrowed at the clock.

_Very soon indeed._

* * *

Platinum blonde bangs gently dangled over narrowed frost blue eyes, her impossibly long lashes fluttering against her high cheekbones. She critically scanned the mass of bodies surrounding her, everyone had amassed within the hotel ballroom.

As beautifully decorated as the room was, she still felt the excited energies pulsing through the air. The room was alive with murmurs and excitable chatter, and she was off to herself in a far corner towards the back wall.

A cut-off deep plum sleeveless cropped hoodie, a black midriff shirt showing off her toned stomach, matching deep plum boyfriend sweats and a pair of white-purple fusions, Phoebe looked rather mysterious off by herself. Her impressive arms were crossed over her stunted chest and she coolly slouched against the smooth redwood walls. Four diamond piercing two in each ear, glimmered under the filtered lights of the crystal embezzled chandeliers.

Another platinum blonde head far off in the front of the crowd caught her eye for a moment, and a twinge pulled at the corner of her lips. She knew the face, his face, but he didn't see her.

A small hand on her shoulder distracted her, she glanced over to Kuenma's oval face, she looked back and the familiar face was gone.

"Lively isn't it?"

"Oh yeah. Real spiffy baby."

Kuenma giggled, her dark chestnut hair gleaming in appreciation from a thorough washing and stylish bob cut. She was clad in a form-fitting pink tank top with a small sakura motif, and low rise jeans and flip flops. She had already spotted the familiar faces of the Amazon whose name she learned to be Angela, the deep bronzed skin boy beside her, Juliano, and the multi-pierced punk with grey eyes, Raphael off in the other corner of the room.

The rebel flower leading them was nowhere to be seen though.

"What are we waiting for?"

Phoebe nodded towards the platform on the stage. "We wait for the opening speech…whenever the fuck he gets here." A scowl crossed her face, God she hated waiting.

A particularly large, boisterous man who looked like a ogre bellowed out, "Start the goddamn tournament! I want my opponents now!" He then cracked his monstrously large knuckles, and a shorter man beside him clad in a jaguar mask appeared to be shaking his head.

The blonde smirked, this competition was going to be riveting. Her dark haired friend suddenly latched onto her shoulder with a somewhat muted shriek, both turning to see a large, woolly…panda? Terribly cute though it was, why the hell was a wild animal in a hotel?

"Please tell me that a zoo hasn't let loose its inhabitants…" the blonde fretted aloud.

The bear snorted at the two of them, mostly Phoebe, and sat down in a self-righteous huff. _"I am not a zoo animal thank you! I do have an owner y'know!"_

Kuenma blinked, "W-wait…did you just talk?"

The black and white creature tilted her head cutely, _"Of course I did. Haven't you ever seen a talking bear before?"_

"Panda, you're here!"

Blue and brown eyes redirected their' attention to the bubbly looking girl with pigtails skipping over to them….or to the bear rather. She eagerly embraced it in a tight hug, and Kuenma was the first to notice that the girl and the bear had matching accessories. It was very safe to deduce that this girl was the beast's owner.

Xiaoyu waved at the two girls cutely, her large eyes sparkling in excitement. "Oh, don't worry she's very nice. This is my panda, Panda!" She gushed, teetering back and forth on her tiptoes.

Kuenma and Phoebe shared a confused look before awkwardly waving at the bear. At least Panda wiggled a paw back.

Xiaoyu was beaming now, "So who're you guys? I've never seen you in the last tournaments here." Her eyes got wider before she clasped her small hands together, "Oh, my manners! I'm Xiaoyu!"

"Erm…yeah…we're kind of new. I'm Phoebe and this is my friend, Kuenma."

"Awesome to meet you guys! Are you sharing a room too? I haven't met my roommate yet."

The two girls looked at each other again and shrugged.

"Well once everybody settles in, we should get some lunch together and-"

A sharp hiss hushed the entire room, and the trio of girls focused their' attention back to the front of the room more specifically, the man entering the room. He was devastatingly handsome, tall, and deliciously _dark_.

Xiaoyu felt a blush creeping onto her cheeks that she forced herself to fight down as Jin sauntered onto the stage. He walked with a confident stride, head held high and eyes straight forward. His tall, powerful frame was covered in an expensive black suit, and he possessed such a regality that just his presence simultaneously silenced the entire room. She felt herself get a bit weak in the knees. It was embarrassing, but she couldn't help herself.

Why was she so weak around him? She quickly put her hands at her sides, to hide her sweating palms from the new girls.

But just as unannounced as he had appeared, a few soldiers from his Tekken unit had followed suit behind him, posting sentinel in a neat line in front of the stage. A woman in a trench coat stood at Jin's right side, her blonde hair in a tight ponytail, sunglasses concealing her face and her arms folded under her colossal bosom.

Jin's dark eyes briefly overlooked the crowd in front of him. He recognized a few of the same knuckleheads who never won the tournament before, apparently one contusion is never enough for some people. Quite a few new faces as well, hopefully they should prove to be interesting.

Hazel-grey eyes glanced at the back of the room and locked with wide-almonds and subconsciously softened under the gaze.

Xiaoyu was staring back at him, that worried look on her face, the frown crossing her petal-pink lips. He didn't want to see her here. He knew why she was here, but nevertheless he did not have to explain himself to a little high school girl. She was safest right where she was.

Away from him.

He broke the eye contact, and just as quickly spotted the red eye boring a hole into his head.

He grimaced, Kazuya was sneering at him, looking oh so haughty as though Jin was just a fly on the wall waiting to be swatted.

He had news for him.

His velvety voice echoed into the microphone, "Welcome…to the King of Iron Fist Tournament 6. For the next three weeks, your fighting prowess shall be tested and you will either advance or fail."

The blonde woman stepped forward, pointing towards a large chart on the wall. "The preliminaries begin tomorrow morning, your opponents are chosen at random and you will be notified when you step in the ring." She smiled deviously, toying with a wayward strand of hair from her bangs. "If you lose in the preliminaries, that's it. Only those who make past the first 3 days will advance."

Jin smirked, "I am the one standing between you, and the coveted title, King of Iron Fist." His steely gaze fixed back on Kazuya, and the smirk became sinister. "So either win, or be _crushed._"

With that he stepped down from the platform, the woman following suit behind him along with the soldiers. They disappeared through a back door, and once completely away from the room, the blonde turned on her heel and pressed against Jin's muscular frame.

"Isn't this nice. I haven't seen you so excited in quite some time." she purred, tracing a circle pattern into his chest with her index finger.

The latter snorted, a coy smirk tugging at his lips. "I think anticipation is a more accurate term, Nina."

"Either way, this tournament should prove to be an interesting one. I see quite a few new faces…though they look incredibly young."

"Like your sister's?"

"Hardly like hers." Nina removed the sunglasses that obscured vision of her lovely face and her steel blue eyes met his dark ones.

"And also, you're being quite the extravagant spender lately. You bought another car didn't you?"

The dark raised a brow, confusion beginning to appear on his handsome face.

The Irish woman blinked, "You didn't make any withdrawals this afternoon? Because I received your bank statement saying 3.6 million was withdrawn this afternoon in your name."

Jin blinked for a second time.

How?

3.6 million dollars was a drop in the bucket, but this drop concerned him. Nobody touches _his _money. He had a master pass-code and pin number, nobody else knew them but Nina. Besides he paid her well enough.

Not like she needed to rob him.

Nina narrowed her eyes, curiously tilting her head at the dark figure before her. "I suppose you'll want me to investigate?"

Jin gave her a look, and knowing that look all too well, she turned away and headed off towards the exit.

She had a few calls to make.

* * *

Kaida was stretched out across the master bed, her ebony tresses splayed out on the 400-thread count covers and down pillows. She was waiting for Phoebe and the others to return.

In the meantime she ordered room service, and requested a bottle of white zinfandel and some chocolate truffles.

That was about an hour ago.

'_They should be back soon.'_ she mused, taking a ginger sip of the wine before fidgeting with the hem of the black-lace chemise she bought from Victoria's Secret. She was a striking beauty illuminated in the orange rays of the sunset filtering through the large glass windows. But of course the lap of luxury came with a price tag.

One followed with lots of zeroes.

A grin crept across her face and she raised her champagne glass in the air in a mock toast.

"Thank you, daddy."

* * *

Oh yes. I'm leaving it right there. Oh yes I am. Now for the fun part. You review, I have up chapter 2 a little sooner….you don't want to wait another week do you? Review because…yeah. I'll love you a lot if you do. And vote on the poll on my profile too!


	3. Know Thy Enemy, Know Thy Ally

**(Dei's Ravings): **Ok…I know this was supposed to have been here a lot sooner, but I've been sidetracked with a lot of stuff lately. That and I've been flat out lazy. Oh so lazy. Between sleeping and eating cheeseburgers and hardcore gaming. Sort of. I received Lollipop Chainsaw from my boyfriend for my birthday *spasms*. I've been addictively playing with my friend since then. Ok so its mostly just been lazy and the occasional writer's block. I literally make some stuff up as I go, and it does take me forever to finish chapters between scrutinizing what I wrote, proofreading and adding in extra things.

ERMAGHERD SPERKLE HERNTENG.

That and my internet connection has been kind of hating me lately. It like…disconnects itself. FFFFUUUU. Cool man. Cool. Anyways, I might do some art for this fic and some of my earlier ones when I get the time. I am contemplating making a deviant art… Then there's the fact that my sketchbook pages don't fit in my scanner even after its torn at the micro perforations. It hurts my feelings…

And also, this chapter might be a tad boring. Just giving you the heads up. This is basically an introduction of the OC's. I hope you'll like them. Or not.*sulks*

Anyways...here's chapter 2. Hate me later?

* * *

_******Archangel Proxy: Bloodline Redemption******_

_**-Chapter 2: Know Thy Enemy, Know Thy Ally-**_

* * *

"Omigosh, and like, he was so good looking."

"Ang, stop."

"But God, I've never liked dudes that light-skinned before. Like he's really sexy for a Japanese dude. Like, his hands are huge and stuff."

"Angela. No."

"I'd ride that like a rodeo and send his ass home. He's a babe."

"An-ge-la. NO. No, no, no, stop it."

The honey-brown complexioned girl giggled, her jade eyes sparkling in amusement as she joined her blonde companion on the crème sectional sofa. Phoebe had spent the last 10 minutes enduring a rant involving every man that looked even remotely appealing to the taller girl. And by remotely, the Amazon was looking at every guy here roughly in their twenties or that weren't sporting wrinkles or age spots.

"You gotta lighten up, yo. But like really…Jin Kazama, just…Oohh…"Angela squealed, her thick, dark eyelashes fluttered and a provocative _purr _escaped her full lips. "Jeee-sus!"

"You need Jesus alright…" Phoebe rolled her eyes and rested her head on the back on the sofa. Kaida had demanded a little pre-bonding powwow before preliminaries began in the morning but a few people were missing. So now it was just her and the "slam-a-zon" as she had started referring to in her head, gabbing like schoolgirls in their hotel room. In a way it was rather pleasant, regardless that the two had only known each other for less than a few hours, they had good rapport.

It almost felt normal again.

"Don't judge me, I mean weren't you scoping that one dude anyways?"

"What dude?"

"That blonde cutie. Like…I don't even like white guys and he was hot. You totally checked him out, boo."

Aquamarine eyes met teasing jade and the latter wrinkled her small nose. "No the fuck I wasn't. And there's more than one blonde guy here anyways."

"Oh, but the one I saw you checking out was like, yum."

"Ang, you're aware most of the men here are pretty yum, yeah?"

"Oh God, I know! Like, did you see that one guy with the gray hair and battle scars and shit?"

"He looks like an asshole."

"A sexy, BDSM loving asshole."

"You are sick."

Angela giggled, dramatically flipping her thick, tousled ebony hair over her shoulders and licked her full lips wet. "Judge me, whatever. I like what I like." She pushed herself off the sofa, her 5'11 frame slouching a bit as she hiked the tight, black shorts higher on her enviable apple booty. The pastel pink Aeropostale tank top hugged Angela's toned torso and impressive chest just as nicely. "Lawds, I gotta wedgie."

The blonde mentally glared, she'd never gave a damn about her physique but Angela further reminded her that she wanted breast enhancements in the future. Nothing obnoxious…but she at least wanted to be a B cup.

"So when are the others gonna get here?"

"Dunno…thought there was some little banquet downstairs that everyone was going to meet at. Raphael said he'd be scoping the competition."

The bronze girl scowled, "Foo, he's not scoping competition, he's scoping girls." She rejoined Phoebe on the crème leather sofa, "He's been talking about every single girl here looks good and whatever."

"The thirst is strong in that one."

"Hell yeah."

The cedar door creaked open, and two twin heads poked into the room. The girl spoke first, "Kaida said we're supposed to have a bonding powwow? Are we late?" Her voice was light and soft and she meekly surveyed the den area as if suddenly embarrassed.

The boy pushed past her and huffed, "No we're not late, there's only two people here. I coulda stayed at the buffet." He dragged himself into a nearby recliner and sighed heavily.

Little sisters were the worst.

After the opening speech, a dinner banquet started shortly afterwards and it only figures all the hyped-testosterone-rage induced guys would start bickering about the food. They picked over all the good stuff, and everyone else was left scrounging for semi-decent rations. And just as he had found one untouched piece of honey glazed ham and fruit salad, his bitchy sister demanded that they return upstairs with utter urgency.

He didn't even get to eat yet.

The girl flounced over to him, her wide honey eyes set in a firm glare. "What's your deal? The food will still be there when we get back!" Her soft voice was starting to get shrill.

His honey-grey eyes met hers with an equal glare, "No the hell it won't and you know it. I haven't ate a damn thing all day."

"But you can just go down there later and-"

"I could have just stayed down there to begin with. You didn't see anybody else from this room going back so suddenly."

"You're being unfair-"

"Ava, its been a long day, I'm tired, I'm fucking hungry and I'm not in the mood. Don't start with me."

Ava scowled at him, her lips tense. "Tch, well fuck you too."

"Bite me."

Phoebe blinked, she and Angela sat in silence watching Ava's shoulders slump and the miffed expression briefly taking over her oval-shaped face before a deep frown set in. She turned on her heel and stormed back out the room, the door slamming shut behind her.

The boy sighed again, rubbing his temples and fixed his gaze on the two girls in front of him. "Er…sorry you had to see that. She's been working my last nerve all day." He scratched the back of his head, and a sheepish smile crossed his lips.

Angela shrugged, "Nah its cool, but uhm, you know that you can just order room service."

He seemed to frown more and slumped further in the recliner. "Too much effort."

Phoebe studied his features; Long, shoulder-length chestnut hair, a light peachy-tan complexion and a lean build, he had the body of a runner. His eyes were a tad squinty and his face was finely sculpted. His sister bore the same resemblance somewhat, her hair was just a little longer and her face more delicate. They both had on matching pendants, a small yellowish stone on a beaded necklace.

"So what's yer' name?"

His eyes flickered between aquamarine and jade, "Lu…and that hot mess that just left here was my sister, Ava."

The two girls exchanged a look, knowing it wasn't smart to impose between sibling quarrels. That type of stuff usually sorted itself out anyways…or not.

Lu dismissively shook his head at their' faces, "Don't worry about it. She always acts like that. She'll get over it by tomorrow."

Phoebe clicked her tongue, "So I'm assuming she's the annoying baby sister?"

Lu nodded, a half smile working across his face. "I'm the oldest by five minutes. Ever since we got to the hotel, she wants to go sight-seeing and go talking to people and I've been telling her not to." He dragged his hands over his face. "And when I tell her it's a bad idea, she wants to go whining about what everyone else is doing as an excuse. She's like a puppy."

He rolled his eyes to the ceiling. Ava had always been overly curious, ever since they were children. This unfortunately resulted in her getting into much mischief and Lu usually having to defend her in some way. Or that often just got them both into more trouble.

The front door slammed back open again, this time Ava had returned with company; Kuenma, Juliano, the strawberry haired blonde boy, the quiet boy with dark hair, Kaida, and an irate Raphael.

Ava flashed her brother a grim smirk, crossing her arms over her small chest, "Oh look. Now everyone's here suddenly." She stomped off to the opposite end of the room and flopped onto an ottoman. The others mutely shuffled back into the room behind her, filling up the remaining spaces on the couch except for two; Kaida who stood command in front of the room and the odd dark haired boy still standing against the far wall.

Kaida's almond shaped eyes narrowed, she was trying to get a heads up on the match listings for the preliminaries in the morning but to no avail. Then that saucy girl damn near demanded that that powwow begin immediately. Not to mention that girl had somehow dragged everyone else that wasn't even in the hotel room along with her.

Who the hell was she to give her _orders_?

Raphael snorted, a scowl crossing his handsome face. "Well shit, since nobody's talking, I'll start so I can go the fuck back downstairs." He mock cleared his throat, "I'm Raphael le Tourneau, Raph for short, I like long walks on the beach, girls with dark hair, piercings and big boobs." He tapped his chin in thought, his slate eyes dimly glinting in the light, "And uhh…I'm 6 feet tall exactly. I also like cajun."

The ravenette rolled her eyes, "Oh, how fascinating. You're French?"

"But of course doll-face." He ran his pale, calloused hands through his dark brown hair, currently gelled and spiked into a deep indigo dip-dyed mohawk. "My mother is French, I took her last name."

"And your father?"

At this, Raphael's expression hardened and he gruffly answered, "Don't know him. Don't want to. Next."

Kaida pointed a manicured finger at Phoebe, an impish grin gracing her face. "Tell us about yourself, Victoria."

The blonde scowled, "Don't call me by my middle name goddamit!"

Angela squeaked, "Your middle name's Victoria? That's so pretty! My middle name was supposed to be raspberry but now its Delainey."

"W-wait…your middle name was going to be raspberry?"

"Yeah it almost was and then like-"

"Off topic, off topic, off topic!" Lu's baritone voice cut in through the girly squeal-fest, causing the three girls to involuntarily blush.

Phoebe coughed, "Erm…right…yeah. I'm Phoebe…and uhm…what do I say?"

"How bout your last name, nationality, your favorite color, and possibly if you're single and looking?" Raphael grinned, missing the middle finger aimed his way before Phoebe continued.

"Whatever…my favorite color is blue, I'm single and NOT looking and my last name…" her bell-like voice trailed off for a moment. "I'd rather you find out."

Kaida smirked, her hazel eyes lighting up with mirth. That smidgen of info on her best friend she knew all too well. She crooked a finger at the curvaceous girl beside her. "Your turn."

Angela grinned proudly, her green eyes sparkling like a cat's. "I'm Angela, you can call me Ang, Angel, or Angie I accept them all. I love being pretty, Juicy Couture bags and guys who are tall, dark and handsome…" She fluttered her eyelashes in Juliano's direction with a flirty grin. "But my full name is Angela Delainey-"

"Raspberry." Phoebe snickered, receiving a light elbow in the side.

"Shut up…its Angela Delainey Marduk." She beamed proudly, oblivious to the silence that stilled over the rest of the room.

Lu and Ava sat with mouths agape, Phoebe blinked, Kaida quirked an eyebrow, and the guys just flat out stared. The only one who appeared unsurprised was Juliano.

Ava's voice trembled a bit, "Y-you're his _daughter_?"

"Yup!" Angela grinned, her eyes glimmering.

Lu stared in disbelief, "Are you shitting me?"

The French flirt narrowed his eyes at her, "I call bullshit. No way in hell someone could possibly survive having sex with that dude."

"Uhmm, obviously my mom did considering I'm here and all. Just sayin'."

"The dude is like King Kong in spandex shorts…I mean his fucking muscles have muscles. How did your mom even survive? " Lu muttered, he half slipped out the chair.

Angela grinned more, "Ya'll are childish. But uhm, yeah, that be my daddy, bro."

Phoebe scratched her head, "So that's why you're so tall…I assume your mom is tall too?"

A look of solemnity crossed Angela's lovely face, "Oh, no…she was kinda short. Moms is like 5'7."

"That's not really short…whatever…is she here? In the tournament?"

"Oh no. Moms ain't no fighter. My momma was a stripper."

Juliano rolled his eyes, fishing into the pocket of his jeans and producing a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. _'My momma was a stripper…and she says it so unashamed…' _He shuffled towards the balcony, already placing the cigar between his full lips. "Someone call me when it's a little less awkward."

The Amazon huffed, blowing a wayward strand of wavy hair from her face. "Ya'll act like this is weird or something. Damn, everyone find love and shit." She poked her full lips out and pouted.

'_Never thought it'd happen to that guy of all people though.' _Kaida nodded dimly, her eyes flickering to the strawberry blonde lad next to 'loverboy' Raphael.

The blonde was just as good-looking as Raphael…the two of them seemed like yin and yang put together. Though Raphael was more punk, Gabriel was clean cut. His tanned complexion was complimented with his deep blue eyes, a faint five o'clock shadow and chiseled features. Not to mention his strawberry-blonde hair hung down like an untamed mane around his face. He had the classic American bad boy look, but gave off an alluringly mysterious vibe.

He caught her gaze and he cleared his throat. "I am Gabriel Adamo Laroga. I'm mixed, Italian and Spanish." His deep blue eyes flickered to the ground for a moment in deep thought. "I've never really known my father…I've been raised by _mi madre _all my years. I like the quiet…I'd rather be alone with my thoughts." He paused and shrugged. "Anything else, you should just ask me."

The rebel flower smiled, and she promptly pointed at the twins. "You two….have been causing a ruckus since we showed up. You may go next."

Lu and Ava glanced back at each other, and remembering the earlier argument both proceeded to glare back at the other.

"I didn't cause a ruckus, she did."

"Its only because you were acting like a twat."

"So that's your bullshit excuse for acting like a 3 year old today?"

"I'm not a child!"

"Oooohh look Lu, look at the guy over there, look at that lamp, look at Angela's boobs, are they fake? Blah blah blah, that's all you've been saying all fucking day!"

Angela blinked, "Wait, what's wrong with my boobs?"

Phoebe produced a lollipop from her sweatpants pocket and stuffed it in her mouth. "You were checking out her tits yo?" Her eyes narrowed to cover up her amusement, this was going to be funny.

Ava blushed, "I-I didn't say anything about you!…your boobs…I mean…no I wasn't looking!"

Lu mouthed, "She was" before a flying cup was chucked at his head. He scoffed, "What? You were!"

"Well, shit, if you're curious, my tits are real and I wear a 40DD. You wanna know the size of my ass?" The ghetto diva flared, her impossibly toned arms now folded across her chest and it was evident she was starting to get angry.

"I'd like to know." Raphael smirked, receiving a smack upside the head from Phoebe. "Oh c'mon! I was just taking the offer!"

Ava frantically shook her head, "Its not even like that, ok? Lu's making it sound way worse than what I said-"

"So what the fuck did you say then? You obviously said something."

"Oh, look at the time." Gabriel stood abruptly and quickly excused himself out of the room. No way was he about to get in the middle of that mess.

Kaida pinched the bridge of her nose. Already they were proving to be toddlers themselves. Gabriel had already slipped out the room after the bickering began, and Juliano hadn't bothered to venture back inside. Kuenma was attempting to play peacemaker, but her voice was drowned out. Immature, the whole lot of them.

Seriously. All of them spawning an argument, what really shouldn't even be an argument, over boobs. And in Kaida's eyes Lu already seemed to be an instigator, Ava doesn't know how to keep some things to herself, Raphael was just childish and Angela's got a bad temper. Fabulous.

"Enough!" Her voice rose above the squabble, effectively hushing them all. "How in the world do you all get offended over something so trivial?"

Angela frowned, "It ain't trivial when you're talking about me."

"Lord…people. Stop it. Angela, for fuck's sake. Your rack is amazing. I wish my boobs were that nice. Better?"

The ebony girl half scoffed, standing up and slipping on a pair of pink fur-trimmed Uggs. "Yeah thanks, but _someone's_ gonna get fucked up around here if they keep talking shit." She flounced over to the front door, "If anybody needs me, DON'T." and left with a picture-rattling slam of the door.

"Well that went well." Phoebe piped sarcastically, running a hand through her pixie-cut blonde locks.

The ravenette scowled at all of them, "Yeah, real well indeed. And completely off fucking subject. Last person." She pointed at the boy standing by the doorway. He hadn't spoken a word since they arrived at the hotel. In fact, he barely spoke a word to any of them at all.

He was around 5'9, somewhat slender built, with dark brown hair that remained slicked back behind his ears. His eyes were a piercing dark brown which stared back into Kaida's hazels with a chilling intensity. He had stood rigid against the wall and with his already pale skin, he looked the equivalent of a ghost. For a moment he simply stared back at the raven leader, his face was stony and blank.

"I am Aramais du Moulin." His voice came out in a smooth rasp, his accent appeared to be French as well, but heavier than Raphael's. "You need not know anything about me that I choose not to mention. That is all you need to know."

Kaida did not object, but narrowed her eyes. "Well, we can finish this powwow thing tomorrow, _maybe_. In the meantime, its late, and prelims begin first thing in the morning. We should get some rest." her hazel eyes glanced towards the door, indicating the guys should leave. Thanks to her renting out the top floor, everyone basically had their' own room to make things less uncomfortable, it was optional if they wanted to share.

Kuenma clutched a pillow to her bosom. By then, Juliano had already half-sauntered back into the room, dragging in the smell of menthol with him. "Sleep sounds like the best thing I heard all day." He drawled, shuffling out the room followed by Aramais, Lu and Raphael.

Ava got up and dejectedly headed towards the bathroom leaving Kaida, Phoebe and Kuenma alone.

Phoebe bit into her blueberry sucker with an audible crack, "So, what do we think of tall, dark and aloof?"

Her raven haired friend shook her head. "We can't speculate. Everyone here can keep to themselves if they want. As long as he's for the same cause as we are, he can be as strange as he pleases."

"Dude still seems creepy."

"We can't judge right now, Pheebs. We just can't." The dark maiden sighed and picked up the broken cup at her feet. "Hopefully he shouldn't cause us any unnecessary problems either." She deposited the cup in the garbage and silently exited the room.

Aqua eyes stared at the ceiling then to the girl beside her. "Kuenma? What do you think of him?"

The short haired girl briefly shook her head, her dark bangs hiding her eyes. "I don't know."

She couldn't say what exactly, but something about that boy was rather…strange. His aura, she couldn't read it, and his body language was unreadable as well. It was like he didn't want anyone to know a single thing about him.

But everyone would have to bond a little on this journey sooner or later, wouldn't they?

Phoebe yawned, stretching like a cat and stood up. "Well whatever, guess Kaida's right. Can't speculate on someone we don't know. I'm off to bed. Night, Kuenma."

Kuenma nodded, holding the pillow tighter to her chest after hearing the sound of the front door closing once Phoebe left.

Maybe she was just being overly suspicious. After all, there were other shady looking folks in the tournament anyways.

Yet, only he gave her the chills just from speaking for that brief interval of time.

'_Now you're really overreacting…he hasn't even done anything wrong…' _She sighed, tossing the pillow aside and finally crossing the room to the door adjacent to the bathroom. Pushing it open a bit, it was dark but she could faintly see the beautifully decorated master bedroom, and one of its two queen-sized beds was already occupied; Ava had already gone to sleep.

Silently she entered and undressed, groping through the dark and finding the oversized pink nightshirt and shorts she left on the chaise by the dresser. She slipped under the plush blankets, the luxe material already enveloping her in a snug embrace she didn't want to leave.

Tomorrow began the true test of her strength and courage, and pushing the excitable jitters to the back of her mind, she willed herself to sleep.

* * *

Warm sunlight filtered in through the balcony windows, the rays directly pouring themselves onto the bed closest to the window. The fair headed occupant of the bed groaned her disapproval of being awaken so soon, but she felt so well rested yet lethargic that it bordered on whether or not to get out the bed or stay comatose. She raised a hand to shield her eyes, vainly attempting to let them adjust to her current surroundings before yesterday's situation finally assaulted her thoughts.

Phoebe sat up with a bolt, her blue eyes wide and alert. Preliminaries began today! Though she was a sleep tousled mess, electrifying jitters of anxiety and excitement coursed through her. She glanced at the clock at the bedside, it was 9:15 which meant not many people were up yet.

She sprung out of bed, damn near bouncing over to her suitcase to produce an outfit, making a mess as she did so. A wave of jeans, sweats, shirts, panties, and two sports bras flung onto the floor and the bed before she finally settled on something decent. She had to hurry and shower and get downstairs, the sooner she did, the sooner she could view the match listings for the morning. Hopefully if she didn't have a match, she'd have time for a jog and to train a bit.

Halfway to the bathroom door, a soft snore interrupted her thoughts and she almost wanted to giggle.

Kaida was snoring (though she swore up and down that she's never done that ever in her sleep.) softly, her raven tresses splayed all over the downy pillows and the top of her head just barely visible from under the blankets.

Phoebe shook her head, she'd come back and wake "sleeping beauty" after she checked the listings. She disappeared into the bathroom and 20 minutes later, she emerged in a black sports bra, dark sweatpants embellished with a fox head in bright pink on the left leg, and a matching cropped hoodie. After depositing her toiletries in the bag, she donned a pair of black gloves with studded knuckles, and her sneakers.

Silently she slipped out the room, quickly taking the elevator to the lobby and no sooner did the doors open she face palmed.

Apparently she was wrong for assuming that not everyone would be early birds. It looked like Paul Phoenix, Law, Hwoarang, Marduk, King, and every other arrogant male were bitching about who check the listings first. At the rate they were going, they wouldn't notice if anyone checked before them anyways. Phoebe shook her head, taking the opportunity to slip by the crowd to check the wall.

According to the chart, her match wouldn't be until late in the afternoon…but first up was Angela. Her opponent's name space was filled with a question mark. The same was for the rest of the fighters, following Angela's match would be Christie Monteiro, that panda bear she met the day before, Asuka Kazama and some other folks, there would be a total of 8 matches for the day.

"Stupid way of doing things…at least I'll have time for breakfast."

"So I guess we really won't know our opponents huh?"

Phoebe nearly jumped, turning suddenly to see a rather effeminate looking boy standing right beside her. She didn't even notice him standing there.

A small smile worked its way onto her face, "Yeah, I guess not. Is your name on here?"

He squinted his bright blue eyes back at the listings, before shaking his head. "Nope. Unless I end up being one of the mystery opponents." He grinned, extending a red gloved hand towards the shorter blonde. "I'm Leo, by the way."

"Phoebe. Pleasure to meet you." Her smile grew a bit more, delicately placing her hand in Leo's gloved one. She could subconsciously feel a bit of a blush working its way onto her cheeks.

Leo had a very pretty face for a boy and a sweet smile. "I've never seen you here before. Are you new to the tournaments?"

Phoebe flushed a little, "Yeah, uhm…me and my friends are here-"

"Honey BooBoo child girrrlll, it is too early in the morning for you to be flirtin'!"

Both sets of blue eyes glanced at the tall diva strolling over towards them in a tight leopard print catsuit and thigh-high black lace up boots. The catsuit was unzipped down to her navel, giving a somewhat naughty view of Angela's goods and impressive bosom which was suspended in a black push-up bra.

Phoebe eyed the suit, it vaguely made her think of some type of 70's or 80's disco shit. The only thing missing were some sky-high platforms, an afro and a Brazzers logo. "Angela….the outfit….why...just…why?"

Angela blinked, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. "Well, if I have a male opponent, I think he'd be more focused on my booty than trying to hit me. May as well play up my curves y'know?"

Leo stifled a laugh, "But what if it's a female?"

The cocky Amazon scoffed, "Shoot, you don't know. She might be a lesbian." She squinted at the chart, her jade eyes glimmering. "Oh damn. I'm up first today, in like 10 minutes. Ya'll gonna come watch me?"

Phoebe smirked, shifting her hands to her hips. "Of course. Just hope that one of us aren't your opponents."

"Pheebs, I will sit on your little ass. You better hope not." Angela giggled, producing a hair tie from her wrist and scraping her wavy hair into a side ponytail. "I was hoping to stop for breakfast, but I didn't think I'd have to be first or anything."

Leo scratched his mop of spiky blonde hair, "It wouldn't have mattered. The hotel stops making breakfast at 10. They start preparing for the lunch rush by then."

"Well dammit, I'm hungry and I want a fruit parfait."

"Looks like that will need to wait until after your match."

"Would you all remove yourselves from in front of the chart? Other people need to know their' matches for the day too, if you don't mind."

A scowl promptly graced Phoebe's face, as the proprietress of the delicate voice pushed by Angela, and stood arrogantly in front of her. Lili Rochefort's manners were less than socially acceptable.

Leo's nostrils flared slightly. "No need to be rude you know. We're not blocking anything." He was already displeased by her, considering that they were standing _beside_ the chart, not in front of it. She had some nerve.

Angela glared at her, her fists clenching. "Well excuse the fuck out of you, you little rat."

Long, shimmering blonde locks, an olive-gray corset get up, and perfect pink makeup. Phoebe scowled more, she looked like a Barbie doll trying to play street fighter and quite frankly she was not impressed. "I think the proper set of words you're looking for is excuse me, so I may view the chart?"

Lili smirked, turning her fine nose up towards the other blonde. "Nonsense. I was only stating the obvious, considering that you two-" she suddenly turned and eyed Angela up and down, "-and this fashion impaired ogre are blocking the way."

"Fuck you say?"

"Oh? What? Are you offended that I said fashion impaired?"

Angela glared death, Lili was much smaller than she was, and Angela was much heavier. "I'm gonna impair something alright-"

"Anywho." The arrogant blonde turned her brief attention span back to the chart, her hair swishing and nearly whip lashing Angela in the face.

She fluttered her long lashes, and sighed in distaste at the chart. "Oh, well, my name isn't on here. Hmph." She pivoted on her heel and gracefully excused herself away from them.

Phoebe wrinkled her nose. "Pretentious prick."

Leo sighed, observing the way Angela's fists clenched and unclenched. "That was Lili. She's some rich girl, with awful manners."

Angela snorted, "Apparently. My match needs to start already, and she better hope she ain't in a ring with me ever."

Phoebe glanced at the large clock hanging above the concierge desk and gasped. "Well, don't look now but your match starts in 5 minutes."

Angela made a girly squeak and quickly rushed out the front doors, Phoebe nodded towards her direction. "Shall we go watch?"

The blonde boy smiled wanly, "I certainly don't see why not."

The two made their way outback, past the courtyard and to the arena, the stands were already packed despite it being so early. The crowds were buzzing with energy, the anticipation of a good match was creating a nervous tension in the air.

Phoebe and Leo slid into the front of one of the stands, Angela was already in the arena, cracking her knuckles and stretching. She was feeding off the crowds' energy, getting herself pumped and simultaneously wishing away the nervous feeling coiling in her chest.

The referee was slowly heading up the stairs, and there was someone behind him. Angela smirked, she had to try her best regardless who it was…until she finally saw who it was. Speak of the devil.

The fair head was finally visible from behind the referee and both girls stared at each other.

The referee took a few steps back, his voice echoing into the microphone. "Welcome to the King of Iron Fist Tournament Preliminaries! Match one, Lili Rochefort vs. Angela!"

Angela smirked more, Lili's proud façade had already faltered somewhat and the arrogant girl was starting to look nervous. Payback was about to be a real bitch this morning. "I hope you brought your knee pads."

Lili blinked, getting into stance. "Pardon? What's that supposed to mean?"

Angela grinned, "Cuz' you'll be kissing my ass this entire match."

The referee blew a whistle and quickly backed out the ring. "Begin!"

Lili attempted to make the first attack, opening with a series of slaps and cartwheels all of which Angela blocked with relative ease. Angela caught Lili's leg and parried it to the left, throwing the other girl off balance. Taking that opportunity, Lili was met with a set of powerful punches to the stomach and a sharp high kick to the face before suddenly being hoisted in the air and thrown a few meters away.

The crowd was especially loving this, the roars echoing from the stands were becoming deafening.

Angela advanced on her quickly from her downed position, Lili had been rattled by the first gut blows so she could only manage a weak kick to Angela's shin to keep her at bay. Shakily she stood, hopping off to her right as an evasive maneuver and followed this by the moonsault alstromeria, successfully managing to knock the Amazon down.

Angela scoffed, a light bruise forming on her arm from blocking part of the full impact. She had faced away after she fell, and she could hear Lili's rapidly approaching footsteps towards her.

'_Not yet.'_

Waiting for Lili to run right up on her, Angela quickly jutted out her bum, effectively knocking Lili right on her backside and causing the crowd to howl with laughter and cheers.

The Amazon grinned, giving her incredulously large behind a smack. "Sorry, did my big ol' booty hurt you?"

What followed the statement was a good old fashioned can of ass-kick, Lili didn't even have time to get off the ground fully before she was tackled and harshly beaten with jabs, punches and slaps. Finally for the piece de resistance, twisting the smaller girl like a pretzel until she was bent over her back with their' arms locked together, Angela yanked both of Lili's arms, a painful _crack_ was heard and had dislocated one of Lili's shoulders.

Lili made an undignified screech, slipping from the larger girl's death grasp and now wailing in pain. The referee had eased back into the ring, gripping Angela's wrist and raising it in the air. "Winner!"

She grinned out into the roaring audience, already catching sight of Phoebe and Leo whistling and cheering in the stands. She waved to them, hopping off the staircase and promptly flounced over to them with a giddy squeal.

"Ang, that was fucking awesome!"

Phoebe high-fived the taller girl, a bold grin gracing her face. Leo materialized beside her, and only for a less than a second did he feel a pang of pity of Lili who was now being carried away on a stretcher. However, that's what happens when you run your mouth too much.

He shook his head. "She had that coming anyways. Go figure."

Angela sighed dreamily, stretching on her tiptoes and reaching her hands high into the sky. "Ohhhmigosh, I feel _so_ much better now. We should like, go get snacks."

Phoebe rolled her eyes, "You do that, I have to get in some training."

"Suit yourself baby-doll."

Phoebe took a light jog back to the hotel and towards the training room. It wasn't as full as she thought it might be. She calmly walked over to a suspended punching bag, eyeing it as though it actually had arms and legs.

Taking a deep breath, she began a light volley of jabs, mentally pacing herself. Her match wouldn't be until noon, two hours was plenty of time for exercise. The blows to the bag gained more force, the heavy sand-filled sack rocking slightly with each punch it received. Her entire attention was focused on her immobile enemy, she paused and took a breath and began a fast flurry of gut jabs. She was also unaware that someone was watching her with mild interest.

"Not bad for someone who is so small."

The deep male voice startled Phoebe out of her concentration causing her to nearly stumble into the bag. Finally registering what he said, a defiant glare worked its way to her face. "I suppose you find me being little funny or something?"

"Well, in a way, yes."

She turned around, ready to say something scathing and instead bit the inside of her cheek. It only figures Steve Fox would be looking down at her with an amused smirk. Why hadn't she caught the light British accent the first time he spoke?

Her attempted glare was faltering into a rosy blush, and damned be her if she'd let him see that. "W-well whatever. Me being tiny has nothing to do with my fighting prowess." She turned away crossing her arms in a pout, only managing to look very much like a cute toddler that was placed in time out.

The handsome British blonde only laughed, placing a hand on her fair head and ruffling her hair a bit. "Ah, I'm only messing with you. I'm rather certain you're a very capable fighter. You've got some pretty fast hands."

"I…uhm…thank you…" She wanted to say something about him ruffling her hair, but her brain suddenly decided to give her a speech impediment. Of all the times for her act stupid, why now?

"Also…you're using my punching bag."

Phoebe blinked a second time, finally noticing the Fox emblem stitched on the forefront of the black punching bag. She really should have noticed that the first time, along with the fact that this bag looked much newer than the other ones that were in here.

The blush she was attempting to fight down only got darker. "Erm…lookit the time, my friend should be awake by now!" She stammered, making a dash out the room and her face becoming hot in embarrassment.

Steve merely looked on in the direction she fled and couldn't help but shrug to himself. He had only walked in to see the small figure aggressively attacking the new punching bag he had bought. Yet just seeing her diligently hitting the bag reminded him of himself when he first started boxing.

Nothing but tunnel vision.

He took a deep breath, slipping on his signature yellow-studded gloves. His match was in an hour and he really needed to get in some practice.

* * *

Phoebe had escaped into the courtyard, losing herself in the intricately cut hedge maze and finding her way to the large fountain centerpiece.

She couldn't have been more embarrassed if she wanted to be. That was not the way she wanted to start her morning. She just needed a minute to regain her composure and fight away that damned blush on her face. She blushed virtually six times today. The hell?

And in front of Steve fucking Fox for that matter!

He'd probably laugh at her if he saw her again. Officially, she could not show her face anywhere around him.

'_Way to go, Victoria. Way to fucking go.'_

* * *

Well, well. This draws chapter 2 to a close. In case anybody feels that some people are pedobears, none of my OC's are in the "early" teenage years. They're all legal. I promise. So its not half as creepy. Anywho, reviews are loved.(shamelessly begging.)

And don't forget to check my profile and vote on the poll for me. Votes are loved too!


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